Housekeeping matters on agenda at Neepawa COW

By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner

Housekeeping matters filled most of the agenda at Neepawa council's March 4 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting.

Council discussed three bylaws, relating to un-issued borrowing, which will be up for second and third reading tonight. Every time the town wants to borrow money, a bylaw must be passed, and it goes on the municipal board books. For projects which end up costing less than the amount authorized in the original borrowing bylaw, another bylaw must be passed to cancel the difference. These three proposed bylaws are doing just that.

Council discussed who would replace Councillor Monty Simon on the Neepawa & District Planning Board. Only Councillor Jim Cockburn expressed interest.

The town has some assets which it no longer wants or needs and there was discussion about their sales. One was the house located at 535 Main St. East. This house is on town owned land and is in the way for highway expansion. The house will be put up for tender and CAO Allison Bardsley said that “we hope to have the house off the property by the end of June”. The purchaser would also be responsible for site clean up.

The town also discussed plans for some of the town's trucks. Bardsley indicated that the town's Operations and Maintenance department could make use of the fire department's excess one-ton cube van to use as a water and sewer truck. Council will continue to discuss their plans for other trucks in the fleet.

Council decided that the town would not be purchasing tickets for council to attend the civic dinner, being held as part of the town's 125 anniversary celebrations. Councillor Wayne Hollier said “I don't think it looks right for the town to purchase tickets”. Councillor Wendy Menzies said “the town is going to be making a contribution to the event, not targeting something specific”.

Council spent a fair amount of time discussing the appointment of a representative to the Assiniboine RHA Health Advisory Committee. Mayor Bob Durston has been the representative, but Durston said a new policy means that communities must nominate a representative, and the ARHA board will pick who will sit on the committee. Durston said “I would like to continue” but would step aside if someone else wanted to sit on the committee. Durston explained that the committee is “advisory only” and has “no power”. He said “the ARHA have things they want input and feedback on”, and it's these subjects that are on the agenda and discussed at the meetings.

Councillors Ron Forsman and Wayne Hollier both commented that they know little of what occurs at the committee's meetings. Forsman said “we don't hear much about what happens” at the meetings, while Hollier referred to them as being “one of the deepest, darkest, secrets”.
Council decided to put forward a resolution nominating Durston to the Advisory Council, but requested that he keep council better informed about the issues discussed.

Councillors felt that they should be more pro-active about taking their concerns to the ARHA and lobbying. Hollier said “I think this community should be much more proactive”. Forsman echoed that, saying “we should seriously look at how we can have more clout”.